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Cougars shine at Stanford Invitational

Fourteen Lakewood runners pose with coaches and alumni at the 40th Stanford Invitational.

— image credit: Courtesy Photo

LAKEWOOD — Some of the best Lakewood cross country runners took a trip to California last weekend for the 40th Stanford Invitational on Sept. 28, and not only did the team make it into the top three at the meet, but they also broke school records in the process.

“The boys 5K record, which has been around since 2007, was broken by Douglas Davis, who took it by seven seconds, with his final time of 16:01. It’s especially impressive because the Stanford course is kind of slow.”

Davis, a junior, took fourth place at the meet, which drew hundreds of athletes from several states. The boys team took third place overall, while the girls team took 17th place.

“The girls had a tougher day, and as a team they said they could have run a little bit better,” said Sowards.

While 14 Lakewood runners competed in California, the junior varsity team took on the Mount Baker Invite, with some impressive race times.

“The girls took third place and the boys placed seventh,” said Sowards. “Connor Smith, a senior, was one of our top performers with a 17:37 on a 2.97 mile course. We ran some people in the varsity races as well, and the top performers for the girls were Keely Hall, a freshman varsity runner with a final time of 21:11, and Anna Droables, a junior, with a final time of 22:27. She was our top JV runner of the day.”

“We won’t race as a varsity team again until the Hole in the Wall on Oct. 12,” said Sowards. “It’s the largest athletic event in Snohomish County, with more than 2,500 athletes and 81 schools.”

Lakewood hosts the Hole in the Wall on Saturday, Oct. 12, starting at 9:40 a.m.

The boys results at Stanford included Davis in fourth place with a 16:01, Mitchell Darrah in 20th place with a 16:42, Alex Cooper in 43rd place with a 17:10, Drew Cabales in 47th place with a 17:11, Preston Davis in 62nd place with a 17:26, Jake Ryan in 150th place with an 18:19 and Ryan Whitehead in 1599th place with an 18:30.

The girls results included Britney Albro in 85th place with a 21:22, Darby Throndsen in 92nd place with a 21:31, Lilly Whitehead in 93rd place with a 21:36, Rachel Sowards in 104th place with a 21:44, Celine Espinoza in 118th place with a 22:07, Sara Newman in 119th place with a 22:10 and Ellen Knowles in 126th place with a 22:24.

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